The Gloves Are Off
by Lauren Wagner
Summary: Nightcrawler tries to get Remy and Rogue to get together
1. Default Chapter

Kurt woke with a start to a sound of shouting just over his head. Opening his eyes, he groaned and looked over at his clock and he growled deep in his throat.  
  
It was one in the morning.  
  
Snarling, Kurt picked up his pillow and placed it over his head, trying and failing to drown out the noise.  
  
"Why must Remy always piss Rogue off so early?" he said into his pillow. ***  
"What's the matter? I came home didn't I?" Remy asked, stepping out of punching room. Rogue crossed her arms across her chest, looking at Remy angrily.  
  
"How many women were you with, Remy?" she asked.  
  
"What?! I wasn't with..."  
  
"Explain that bit of lipstick then on the collar of your jacket." Raising his eyebrows, Remy looked and saw that he did indeed have lipstick on the collar of his jacket.  
  
"Damn..." he muttered. Without warning, he was thrown back when Rogue suddenly landed a punch in his face.  
  
"Jeez!" he muttered, rubbing his face lightly. "What was that all about? It's yours!"  
  
"I don't wear lipstick, Remy Lebeau!" Rogue raged, getting ready to punch him again. "Tell the truth now! Or are you too drunk to remember?"  
  
"I'm not drunk!" Remy cried. "Rogue, calm down please!"  
  
"Calm down!!" Rogue screamed. "You want me to calm down when you're the one getting drunk and screwing other women at night! Get out of here!"  
  
"Rogue..." Rogue punched a hole through the wall in her anger.  
  
"I'll be leaving then." Remy said, swiftly running out of the room and closing the door behind him. ***  
Kurt was in the kitchen brewing a pot of coffee, unable to sleep due to Rogue's shouting. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he looked up as Remy passed and he flicked his tail to one side, getting off the counter and following after him.  
  
"Remy, why does my sister need to scream at you?" he asked, leaning against the wall a bit.  
  
"She's just being a control freak." Remy said, shrugging and laying down on the couch. "She needs to lighten up."  
  
"She cannot, Herr Lebeau." Kurt said, calmly walking over. "Especially when the one who claims to be her boyfriend is going out at all hours of the night and then returns drunk with lipstick on him!"  
  
"For the last time! I'm not drunk!" Remy protested.  
  
"Is that the only thing you wish to argue with me?" Kurt asked cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Don't be a smart ass."  
  
"I must be, Herr Lebeau." Kurt said, narrowing his eyes a bit. "You are hurting my sister with your reckless behavior! Why not take her out to have some fun for a change instead of walking off by yourself! Maybe then she would not be so upset with you!"  
  
"She never wants to go out!" Remy said. Kurt snorted, shaking his head.  
  
"Have you ever asked her politely?" he asked. "For someone who can make people like him, you are doing a shitty job with your girlfriend!" Groaning, Remy sat up and scratched the back of his head a bit.  
  
"What do you want me to do, Kurt?" he asked. "I can't hold her hand without her wearing gloves. I can't kiss her unless I want to go into a coma. Sex? Don't even get me started..."  
  
"Is that all relationships are to you?" Kurt asked gently, perching on the couch. "Sex and kissing? I agree, some contact is needed, but is simply holding hands so bad?"  
  
"She wears gloves!"  
  
"Only to protect you." Kurt pointed out. Remy looked away, trying to find some way to argue back.  
  
"We still have that one power stopping collar." He said.  
  
"Do you want her to always wear a collar like an animal then? Just so you can touch her skin you would degrade her?" Kurt asked, standing up. When Remy didn't answer, Kurt sighed and shook his head, heading for the kitchen.  
  
"I do not know what you want, Remy." He said. "But for you and my sister's sake, I hope you think of something!"  
  
Sighing, Remy laid down on the couch and he closed his eyes, trying to think with his drunken mind. 


	2. 2

Kurt was really starting to worry about his sister and Remy. They were starting to argue a lot more, and he sometimes could hear Rogue sobbing in her room. She never wanted anyone to come in when she was in that kind of state, and Remy was washing his problems away with alcohol more and more often.  
  
Sometimes, he was reminded of Brian and Meggan a little too much when Rogue and Remy were arguing. ***  
Rogue was prone to wandering in the woods after she and Remy fought, and each time the argument got worse, she came back later and later.  
  
She was heading for the lake, tears sparkling as they fell down her cheeks. She and Remy had had another argument, but this one had ended worse than all of the others. ***  
"Logan smelled the other woman all over you, Remy!" she cried. "He could smell it!"  
  
"Look! It's not a big thing!" Remy said.  
  
"Not a big thing?" Rogue screamed. "You're screwing other women, Remy! Why do you have to do this to me?"  
  
"Oh it's all about you, Rogue! You act like I was the one who left you to die in Antarctica!"  
  
"Don't bring that up." She said weakly.  
  
"And why not? You always point out my screw-ups! Why not yours?" Remy shouted, leaning into her face nastily. "You act like I don't suffer from our relationship! You want to know why I'm banging other women? BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY WE'LL EVER BE ABLE TO TOUCH EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF YOUR POWER!"  
  
It was like everything around Rogue had shattered like a mirror. Rogue only stared at him, her eyes wide and hurt. Remy looked perfectly calm, his eyes narrowed in uncontrollable anger. When the sting of tears first hit, she ran out of the room to hide them from him, ignoring Kurt as he tried to stop her and ask what was wrong. ***  
Rogue sat on the dock, dangling her bare feet in the ice-cold water. Tilting her head to one side, she let a tear slide down her cheek and plop into the water, making small ripples.  
  
"Why did he have to say that..." she whispered, lowering her head, her hair falling into her face. "He knew that would hurt me!" Trying to stifle her sobs, she placed her arms over her head and pressed her brow against her knees.  
  
She sat like that for a long while, doing nothing but sobbing gently into her knees.  
  
When she felt a hand touch her shoulder, she flinched and looked up in surprise, sighing softly when she saw it was only Kurt.  
  
"What are you doing out here?" Kurt asked softly, tilting his head to one side. Rogue wiped an arm across her eyes, sniffling loudly as she tried to calm down.  
  
"I should be asking you the same thing, Kurt? What do you want?" she countered, looking out at the water.  
  
"You have missed dinner, schwester. There is something really wrong. Hank was cooking tonight, and everyone knows he is the best cook out there!" Kurt said, trying to make her smile. When he saw that it did nothing, he sighed and looked away, hugging his knees to his chest, his tail curling around his ankles.  
  
"Rogue..."  
  
"He hates me."  
  
"Vas? What are you..?" Kurt stopped and he narrowed his eyes slightly. "Remy said something nasty didn't he?" he asked. When Rogue nodded he swore softly, his tail flicking to one side sharply.  
  
"He said that he screws other women because of my powers." Rogue said softly, her voice wavering. "He said we could never touch at all!"  
  
"That's not true..." Kurt tried. Rogue snorted, flicking her head slightly to move her hair from her eyes.  
  
"Kurt, I put a boy into a coma just from kissing him." She said. "Do you honestly think we'll ever be able to touch?"  
  
"The Professor is working on that, as is Hank." Kurt said. "You won't have to deal with that forever. Besides, you are still a beautiful woman, and if you cannot see that for yourself then I cannot help you, mein schwester."  
  
"I'm just not sure he loves me the way he used to. He never complained about my powers before." Rogue said, resting her head on Kurt's shoulder.  
  
"Yet he still loves you. Of this I am positive." Kurt said. Rogue looked up at him, raising her eyebrows slightly.  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked. Kurt smiled at her and nodded.  
  
"I am so positive, that I would swear on a Bible to it! He just needs time to actually say it to you." He said. "Did I ever tell you about Brian and Meggan from Excalibur?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"Brian was a complete asshole to her for a very long time. He drank so much and hurt her so much emotionally, I was afraid for her a lot." Kurt said. "But finally, Brian stopped drinking and he actually stopped being an asshole...Well, not a BIG and TOTAL one anyway." He added with a smile. Rogue laughed shaking her head a bit.  
  
"Do you think that will happen with me and Remy?" she asked.  
  
"Yes." Kurt nodded.  
  
Looking over at her brother, Rogue slowly smiled and she hugged him around the neck.  
  
"Thanks, Kurt!" she said, smiling faintly. 


	3. 3

After talking with Rogue in the forest, Kurt decided that enough was enough and he got Logan and Bobby to help him plan a little intervention for Remy.  
  
Needless to say, Remy was in trouble. ***  
Remy came stumbling into the mansion on the night Kurt planned the intervention, actual dark rings under his eyes that were glazed with alcohol. Muttering softly to himself, he tried to head up the stairs but he stumbled and fell on his butt, swearing softly.  
  
"Have a nice trip there, Gumbo?" Looking up, Remy was suddenly doused with ice-cold water.  
  
"AH! Damn man!" Remy looked angrily at Bobby and he narrowed his eyes a bit. "Why the hell did you do that for?"  
  
"Because you're a goddamn drunk, Remy Lebeau." Bobby spat, placing the bucket down at his feet. "We needed you semi-awake to hear us out!" Struggling to get up, Remy swayed a bit, looking from Logan to Bobby.  
  
"What do you mean? I'm not a drunk goddamn it! I just drank a little bit extra tonight." He said, using his thumb and pointer to show how little it was. Snorting, Logan grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and started to drag him outside.  
  
"Come on, Gumbo. You smell like a goddamn liquor store!" he growled. "And you act like a back alley covered with filth too!"  
  
"Aw let me go!" Remy growled, pulling back. Snarling, Logan pulled him forward and shoved him down the small stone steps onto the wet grass.  
  
"What's the problem with you guys!" he demanded, struggling to sit up. A foot pressed down on his chest, keeping him on his back on the wet grass. Kurt snarled down at Remy, his tail swishing back and forth rapidly.  
  
"You are a disgrace, Remy!" he hissed, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Kurt told me what you said, Gumbo! It made Rogue cry." Logan said.  
  
"And I saw you walking to the gates of the mansion with some bitch tonight." Bobby added. "You gave her money and then she walked off while you headed for the mansion!"  
  
"It really upsets us when we see one of our teammates hurt by another member, Remy." Kurt said. "But it hurts me more when that person is my sister and the one hurting her is supposed to be her boyfriend!"  
  
"Then why don't you yell at her for dumping me in that ice cold place like that?!" Remy challenged.  
  
"Don't try to hide behind that thing again, Remy!" Logan warned. "I'm sick and tired of hearing you use that as if it was an excuse for why you're such a dick to Rogue! It's over, Remy! Even Warren said he was sorry! End it!"  
  
"Easy for you..." Remy snorted, looking away.  
  
"Remy, why are you hurting Rogue the way you are?" Kurt asked. "Is it just because of Antarctica? Is it something else? Tell us so that we can better understand the situation!"  
  
"You've all ready condemned me. Why bother?" Remy said. Sighing softly, Kurt crouched down in front of him.  
  
"We have not condemned you, Remy." He said. "Have we?"  
  
"Of course not." Logan said. "But we have to understand the situation before we can diagnose the cure."  
  
"Diagnose the cure? Goddamn, Logan! That was so corny." Bobby laughed, shaking his head. Logan's hand moved swiftly, smacking him upside the head.  
  
"We're trying to be serious, Popsicle." He growled. Kurt ignored them, keeping his eyes on Remy.  
  
"Are you going to tell us what the problem is?" he asked.  
  
"There's too much distance, Kurt." Remy said. "I told you that when I ask if she wants to go out, she says she doesn't! When she does, she wears clothes that make it impossible to even see her face! How can you expect me to deal with that?  
  
"I try really hard to be nice to her, Kurt. I really do, but it always blows up in my face! I give her flowers; they're in the garbage the next day. I give her candy; she's on a diet! I don't know what to do anymore and with you guys jumping down my throat, it makes things even harder to handle!  
  
"Then there's goddamn Antarctica! She said that she loved me no matter what, Kurt! She left me there to die just after saying that to my face! Yet when I come back, everyone wants ME to forgive and forget when there are those who still hate me for what happened!"  
  
"She really does loves you, Remy." Kurt said. "Mein Gott, I keep saying this to both of you! You love her, ja?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Tell her! Let her know so that this thing ends! Tell her in a nice way! Sober up, buy candy, buy flowers, and I will buy jewelry for you to give to her!" Kurt said. He turned to Bobby and Logan, his hands on his hips. "Don't you two agree?" he asked them.  
  
"We'll help you set something real nice for Rogue, Remy." Bobby said.  
  
"Yeah, Gumbo." Logan agreed. "You can trust us to hook you up again with Rogue!"  
  
"Ja, but first...Bobby, would you do the honors?" Kurt asked. Before Remy could react, Bobby iced up some more water and doused him with it. 


	4. 4

Remy was up to something, but what, Rogue didn't have a clue. All she knew was that he wasn't leaving for all hours of the day and night getting drunk. He still wasn't talking to her a lot though, but something in his eyes said that he had something planned for her.  
  
Something big. ***  
Kurt, Bobby, Hank, and Logan were giving Remy assistance for the planned surprise. Along the way, they learned something very odd about Logan.  
  
He had an unusual skill when it came to Japanese flower arrangements.  
  
"All ya gotta do is arrange them by their proper colors." He explained. "You don't want to mix 'em if their colors clash horribly!"  
  
"And how the hell do you know how to do this?" Remy asked, cocking an eyebrow. Logan shrugged, placing a few white roses with a couple of yellow tulips.  
  
"You pick up a lot of things in Japan." He said. "One word about this to anyone and I break your spine by the way."  
  
"My lips are sealed." Remy laughed. ***  
Hank and Bobby worked on Remy's etiquette skills.  
  
"Remy, when you pour the wine, you only pour in a little bit at first to see if she likes the taste of it." Hank instructed. "And if she doesn't, use another bottle and try again." Bobby made an ice-cube and placed it down Remy's shirt, making him sit up straighter with a shout.  
  
"No slouching, pal!" he laughed. Growling, Remy got the cube out and threw it at Bobby, charging it slightly.  
  
"Don't do that!" he cried. "I can't stand the cold..." ***  
Kurt's lessons were a bit harder however.  
  
"You must tell her the truth about what happened to you in Antarctica, Remy." Kurt said gently, his tail swaying slowly. "I know that will be hard for you." Remy looked away, sucking in air between his teeth.  
  
"I thought you wanted to make her happy, Kurt?" he asked, looking up slightly.  
  
"I do, but she must also understand how you are feeling about everything. Relationships are not always about pleasing the woman." Kurt said. "The man must also be able to tell her anything to reconcile their problems.  
  
"You and Rogue have a lot of problems to be solved." He added.  
  
"Tell me about it..." Remy muttered. "But how do you want me to address it with her?" he asked. "I can't just come out and say 'Hey, leaving me to die after saying you would love me for eternity really upset me.' It just wouldn't work." Kurt nodded a bit, his tail flicking in thought.  
  
"Try to be gentle." He advised. "However, do not poke about the subject like you always seem to do. You must look her in the eyes when you bring this subject up, Remy. If she looks away, turn her head to make her look at you. If she tries to change the subject, push! You will not last if you let this great thing hang over your heads like this!  
  
"Trust me, I know a thing or two about keeping secrets. It is better to come right out and tell the truth as soon as possible, Remy. The only thing you must also do is not be too harsh or nasty, or else she will leave and everything we have worked for will be moot!"  
  
"And you're positive getting this all out in the open will help us?" Remy asked. Kurt smiled kindly, nodding.  
  
"I am positive." He assured him. "Only through talking it out will you two be able to stay couple." Remy smiled, shaking his head a bit.  
  
"I still don't know why you're helping me with all this." He admitted. Kurt shrugged, leaning back in his chair a bit.  
  
"I admit, it is because I am tired of being woken up in the middle of the night by you two shouting." He said. "Also, I have been witness to the pain both of you are going through for many weeks now, and I feel it is time for it to end.  
  
"Also, I always thought you two were always a cute couple, even before I realized that she was my sister. It is a shame to let it go away, and quite frankly, I don't really blame you for what happened down in the tunnels." He added softly, looking down at his hands. Looking up, he smiled brightly at Remy.  
  
"I hope that you succeed tomorrow night." He said, winking at him. "I want you to know that I am rooting for you the whole way, mein freund!"  
  
"Thanks, mon ami!" Remy said with a smile. 


	5. 5

Today was the day, and when Rogue woke up, she found herself staring at a white stuffed cat holding a box of chocolates.  
  
Groaning, she sat up and picked it up, tilting her head to one side slightly. Laughing, she shook her head and got out of bed, her feet landing on a pile of rose petals. Looking down at the ground, she laughed, brushing a strand of hair from her face as she bent down to pick up a letter.  
  
[i]Mon Chere, tonight you will be treated like a queen to a nice dinner! Until then, why don't you go on a little hunt to try and find the rest of your gifts?  
Signed,  
Your Remy[/i]  
  
Laughing, Rogue put the letter down and got dressed, ready to go on a little hunt. ***  
"Have you seen all of these gifts Remy left for me around the house?" Rogue asked Kitty as she picked up another pair of white roses from inside the chandelier. "He is just too much!"  
  
"Are you sure you found all of them?" Kitty asked, placing her hands on her hips.  
  
"I'm not sure, I only checked the rooms on the second floor and this chandelier." Rogue said. "Do you think you could help me find the others?" Smiling, Kitty shook her head.  
  
"No can do with that, Rogue." She said. "I was forced to promise not to help you look for any of your gifts! It's supposed to keep you busy the whole day so that Remy has time to prepare!"  
  
"That street rat!" Rogue laughed, shaking her head. "He must have been planning this for weeks!" ***  
Remy had borrowed the Blackbird, flying to New Orleans to buy real and fresh ingredients for the dinner that he planned on cooking for Rogue. Walking through the French Quarter, he looked through all of the stores, buying fresh ingredients with a keen eye.  
  
He was so absorbed in buying his ingredients that he didn't notice the shadow that followed him everywhere he went, watching him intently. ***  
When night came, Kurt and Logan shared a worried look when Remy did not return. Rogue was anxious, wondering where and what Remy was doing.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Logan asked, cocking an eyebrow to Kurt. Kurt bit his lower lip, trying to think of something.  
  
"Stay on the look out for Remy, Logan." He said. "I will deal with Rogue all right?" Teleporting off, he found Rogue sitting on the porch, looking up at the stars in the sky.  
  
"Rogue?" he asked.  
  
"Was it all a stunt?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him. "It couldn't have been, Remy wouldn't do that to me."  
  
"Rogue, come on. We will wait at the table he had planned on taking you to." Kurt said, holding out his hand. Gently, he led her over to a table with two chairs, a vase filled with various beautiful flowers in the middle.  
  
Sitting down, Rogue leaned forward and breathed in deeply of the flower's fragrance.  
  
"They're lovely." She said softly. "What could be keeping him?" she asked.  
  
"He's over in New Orleans." Kurt explained. "Maybe he was held up with something."  
  
"That's right..." Rogue said softly. "Maybe that is his reason!" she smiled happily, hoping that was why. ***  
Three hours later...  
  
"I don't understand it..." Kurt said softly. "He should have been here..."  
  
"I knew it..." Rogue whispered, shaking her head as tears began to fall. "He hates me for what happened in Antarctica."  
  
"Nein, there must be a reason for it." Kurt insisted, taking her hand gently. "I am sure of it."  
  
"Kurt, he should have been back by now! If he was in danger, he would have called it in or Xavier would have felt it all ready." Rogue said, her tears starting to fall harder now.  
  
Biting his lower lip, Kurt didn't know what to do about his sister's crying. Getting out of his chair, he walked up and knelt down beside her, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. Letting her tears fall more freely, Rogue hugged Kurt back, placing her face in the crook of his neck.  
  
"It is all right, schwester." He whispered gently, rocking her slightly. "Everything will be all right in the end. I am here. I am not going to leave you." ***  
Remy wasn't in danger. That shadow that had been following him was an old friend who had pounced on him once he left a spice store. The two started to talk and before Remy knew it, he was a half hour late to get back to get the dinner ready in time.  
  
When his friend invited others over, Remy didn't protest and this made him an hour late to make dinner.  
  
One of his friends brought beer to the party, and even though Remy tried to remain sober for a long time, he started to drink.  
  
This is why he was just coming back now, drunk off his ass with his vision swirling. The only thing that saved him from crashing the Blackbird was the autopilot.  
  
Staggering towards the spot where he was to meet, Rogue, he stopped still in the shadows, and narrowed his eyes to try and see better.  
  
What he saw was Kurt hugging Rogue, and she had her face buried in the crook of his neck. 


	6. 6

Remy was drunk.  
  
Not only was he drunk, but he was furious as well.  
  
Normally, Remy wouldn't be furious if he saw Kurt and Rogue hugging, they were brother and sister after all, and siblings often had a closer bond than even husbands and wives sometimes.  
  
Alcohol does a strange thing to people and their thoughts. Remy was watching Kurt and Rogue hugging, but he wasn't seeing a brother and sister hugging. He was seeing a son of a bitch hugging his girlfriend.  
  
That filthy, sauerkraut making, bratwurst scoffing, beer guzzling, lederhosen wearing, Jew murdering, back stabbing, Nazi bastard! All that time he was saying he was worried about Remy and Rogue, and that he wanted them to be happy! The lying Kraut... he was just trying to get Remy to leave so that he could go for Rogue! That had to be the excuse.  
  
Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Remy clenched his hands into trembling fists, watching with growing anger as Kurt brushed away a strand of hair from Rogue's face.  
  
"Rogue..." Kurt whispered softly, "I..." He looked up when he heard a scream and before he and Rogue could react, something hit the table and made it explode. With a cry, Kurt pulled Rogue away, looking up.  
  
"Was?"  
  
"You lying piece of shit."  
  
"Remy? Remy, is that you? Ach, where have you been?" Kurt demanded, placing his hands on his hips. "We..."  
  
"Were going together behind my back...I can see it all now!" Remy charged up another stone and hurled it at them, forcing Kurt to grab Rogue and teleport them to the side.  
  
"Remy!" Rogue shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you?" When they received no answer, Rogue shook her head, growing angry herself. "What should we do, Kurt?" she asked.  
  
"I don't think Remy is in his right mind." Kurt said. "You breaking all of his bones will not help matters, so get back in the house, I will try to calm him." Rogue bit her lower lip, trying to hear Remy anywhere near them.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this alone?" she asked. Kurt nodded.  
  
"After I calm him, we can talk about this together." He explained. As Rogue headed back for the house still hesitantly, Kurt headed for the woods, his tail flicking side to side.  
  
"Remy! Remy, we need to talk!" He quickly flipped backwards as a charged stone came towards him. It blew up as he landed in a crouch, and before he got ready to do something, Remy football style tackled him from behind, smashing his head on the ground.  
  
"Ach!" Kurt cried, trying to kick Remy off. Remy punched him in the small of the back, and all he could manage was a teleport a few feet away to try and get his breath back.  
  
"Remy! Listen to me!" he pleaded, struggling to his feet. "You have been drinking again!"  
  
"I know what I saw." Remy snarled. "You and Rogue are sweet with each other!" Staggering to his feet, he looked at Kurt with disgust, a few rocks in one hand. "I thought you were my friend, Kurt!"  
  
"Remy, please..." Kurt said, shaking his head a bit. He teleported as Remy hurled a charged rock at him. "I don't want to fight with you!"  
  
"Well that's just tough isn't it?" Remy growled, hurling two charged rocks at him. ***  
"Logan, we need to help Kurt with Remy!" Rogue said.  
  
"What is he doing?" Logan asked, heading for the door as he spoke.  
  
"He's attacking Kurt! He thinks Kurt and I were going together!" Logan growled, slamming the door open.  
  
"He's drunk isn't he?" ***  
Kurt flipped and dodged Remy's attacks, starting to get too dizzy to continue teleporting all around. Remy attacked with his martial arts, not wanting to waste time trying to collect rocks.  
  
Kurt thanked God that he was taught jiu-jitsu by Logan years ago. He also cursed the fact that Remy learned it too. The two were fighting as hard as they could, but Remy was fighting with a drunken rage that seemed to make him stronger, forcing Kurt to constantly back up.  
  
Remy went to punch Kurt's face, but at the last moment he suddenly performed a sweeping kick, knocking Kurt over. Before Kurt could teleport, Remy performed a knee drop on his stomach, making him cry out as he coughed up blood. Before Remy could land another blow, Kurt teleported as far as he could go away from the scene and in his pain, the mansion as well.  
  
He lay on the ground, gasping for breath as he clutched his stomach and spit out blood. Closing his eyes, he rested his head on the ground, his tail trembling badly. ***  
When Logan and Rogue reached the first location of the fight, they found that Remy and Kurt had moved on. Tilting his nose up, Logan sniffed the air and growled softly.  
  
"Kurt's bleeding." He said. "Come on!" ***  
Kurt had finally made it to his feet, clutching his stomach a bit. He only had a small noise as warning, and when he looked up, Remy's foot smashed his nose as the force of the kick pushed him against a tree.  
  
"How did that feel?" Remy asked. "Did it hurt? I hope it hurt like a bitch! You tried to steal Rogue from me!" Ignoring the blood that fell onto his lips from his nose, Kurt shook his head at Remy, gasping for breath.  
  
"Mein freund...I never..."  
  
"I saw you!" Remy screamed.  
  
"She was upset because you were so late. I was only comforting her! She is my sister! Not my lover!" Kurt insisted. "If you were not drunk, you would understand this!"  
  
"Remy!" Looking over his shoulder, Remy snarled as Logan and Rogue ran towards them.  
  
"You were in on the plan too, Logan!" he said, pointing an accusing finger. "You wanted Rogue to be with Kurt instead of me for some reason!"  
  
"Gumbo, get the hell away from Kurt!" Logan warned, unsheathing his claws. "You're drunk off your ass again! Guess those lessons meant shit to you huh?"  
  
"What good are words anymore?" Remy asked, looking from Kurt, to Logan, and then Rogue. "What good is saying that you love someone for all eternity, and then leaving them to die? What good is saying you care about them and want them to be happy, and then steal that happiness away?"  
  
"Remy..." Kurt started. Remy raised up a hand, and he was holding a switchblade.  
  
"You want to fight me, Logan?" he asked. "Come on and attack me! But Kurt here is too weak to teleport away from danger in time! I'll kill him before you can kill me! Like a good old fashioned Mexican stand-off!"  
  
Before anyone knew what had happened, Rogue was flying like a bullet towards Remy. Grabbing by the waist, she flew him as hard as she could into a tree, knocking him out cold.  
  
"Danke..." Kurt gasped, before he safely passed out in Logan's arms. Logan sighed, hefting Kurt gently over his shoulder.  
  
"This is a fine pile of shit." He said, shaking his head. "You can explain to Hank what happened when we get to the med lab."  
  
With that, he turned and walked off with Kurt.  
  
Sadly, Rogue looked down at Remy. His words had hurt. They had hurt because some of the things he had said were true.  
  
Carefully, she picked him up and followed after Logan.  
  
What the hell was she going to do? 


	7. 7

The first thing Remy thought when he woke up was where the hell was he. Turning his head to one side, he saw bars. When he looked the other way, it was the same. When he tried to move his arms, he found that they were restrained.  
  
What the hell..?  
  
Then the actions of last night suddenly came rushing back to him, and he closed his eyes and groaned softly, now understanding why his head was throbbing the way it was.  
  
"At least one of my new patients is up." Opening his eyes, Remy found Hank looking down at him, a frown on his blue feline features.  
  
"Hank..."  
  
"Not one word, Lebeau." Hank warned, narrowing his eyes, his ears pressing against his skull. "I will not be bale to handle it if you say something more! You're lucky Kurt is still breathing after what you did to him!"  
  
"How bad is it?" Remy asked weakly. Calmly, Hank counted off the problems on his fingers.  
  
"His nose is shattered." He started. "We needed to place tubes up his nostrils to get him able to breathe. He was bleeding internally from his stomach wounds. His head was badly wounded, and quite frankly, I think there might be some other things!"  
  
"Oh merde..." Remy whispered. Hank nodded, placing his hands on his hips.  
  
"My sentiments exactly."  
  
"What happens now?" Remy asked.  
  
"I try as hard as I can to restrain Logan from coming in here and ripping you apart." Hank said. "I suggest you don't speak much." He added, untying his arms. Sitting up, Remy rubbed his wrists lightly as he looked around the room.  
  
"Where's Kurt?" he asked. Hank snorted, taking off his spectacles and cleaning them on his shirt.  
  
"He's in ICU obviously." He said. "I suggest that if you don't want your ass ripped apart, that you stay away from him."  
  
"Is he up yet?" Logan's voice growled.  
  
"Logan, I can't allow you to rip my patient apart, even if he does deserve it." Hank said, walking away to deal with him.  
  
While Hank dealt with a blood thirsty Logan, Remy slowly slipped off of the cot and he headed for the door to the ICU, making sure Hank and Logan didn't see him. When he opened the door and went inside, he groaned softly and closed his eyes.  
  
Kurt didn't look good at all. He was lying on his cot, tubes up both nostrils of his crooked looking nose. The top of his head was wrapped in bandages, as was his chest and abdomen.  
  
Remy had known he was pretty good in marital arts, but he didn't think that he was exactly good enough to put anyone in ICU!  
  
Slowly, he walked up and he sat down beside the bed, resting a hand on his arm lightly.  
  
"I'm so sorry, mon ami..." he whispered. "I really screwed this up didn't I? I got drunk and I got here late and then I beat on you. I'm sorry..."  
  
"I don't think he can hear you. Hank put him on a lot of pain killers." Looking over his shoulder, Remy saw Rogue standing at the doorway, her arms across her chest. When she walked over he flinched and with good reason as she grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to his feet.  
  
"I should break all of your limbs for what you did to Kurt!" she growled. "Not to mention standing me up on the date YOU made!"  
  
"I didn't mean to..." Remy said lamely. Rogue snorted and let him go, shaking her head and taking a seat on the other side of Kurt's bed.  
  
"Rogue, we need to talk." He said, taking his former seat.  
  
"I don't think now is the right time." Rogue pointed out.  
  
"We have to talk now or we never will." Remy said sternly. "I'm tired of dancing around this damned thing, Rogue. We have to talk this out now to try and save this relationship."  
  
"Do you really think that after putting my brother in this condition that I would really want to talk to you about saving our relationship?" Rogue asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"You don't think we can save it? That's fine by me." Remy said. "But we WILL talk about Antarctica, Rogue. I need to get all of it out and if you don't think it will help our relationship; I don't care." Sighing softly, Rogue nodded a bit.  
  
"Fine. Let's talk." 


	8. 8

Remy started slowly, talking about how he felt when Rogue had just dropped him and left him in Antarctica.  
  
"I almost wished that I had died from the fall, chere." He said. "Watching you and the others just flying off without me, leaving me there to die like that." He ignored the look on Rogue's face, looking down at Kurt instead.  
  
"There was nothing to eat there either, unless you counted the goddamn snow." He said. "I got lucky on the fourth day and got a snow hare, but I had to try and save that meat for a very long time. After that, I was eating the snow, dirt and all.  
  
"Do you know how much I hate you for doing that to me? I despise you for that and almost wish I could send YOU to goddamn Antarctica for a few weeks to see how it felt.  
  
"But I'm not allowed to hate you. I'm not allowed to hate you, Warren, and the others who were there that day who didn't turn around and pick me up. You're allowed to hate me and leave me to die, but God forbid I hold a grudge against you, Rogue. Old Remy's supposed to forgive and forget because he's the one who caused so much pain and suffering to the others...Like I had that in mind when I made that deal with Sinister!  
  
"That's another thing that's been really pissing me off, Rogue." He said, narrowing his eyes, still looking down. "People like Warren...looking at me and almost expecting me to turn on you guys. I'm not a turncoat damn it! I didn't know what were his plans! No one believes me!"  
  
Remy banged his fist on a table top, closing his eyes tightly as he fought back tears.  
  
"I can't stand not being trusted, Rogue." He said, his voice cracking. "I hate looking around and seeing the looks in some of their eyes, all of them saying I'm a traitor. Sometimes, I catch Jean trying to break through my mental defenses! Jean keeps trying to get through, Rogue! She and the Professor never picked through our minds like that before!"  
  
The tears finally came at some point, and Remy ignored them, continuing to tell Rogue all of the emotions and feelings he had ever since he returned from Antarctica. All of the emotions that he had been holding back for months seemed to pour as freely as water from his lips, matching the tears that flowed down his cheeks.  
  
When Remy was done, it was Rogue's turn to speak. 


	9. 9

"Remy...When I found out what you had done..." She fell silent, looking away and shaking her head. "No, that's stupid..." he muttered. Looking at Remy, tears coursing down his cheeks, she narrowed her eyes and shook her head a bit.  
  
"Remy, if it had been me to betray the X-men..."  
  
"I didn't." Remy snapped, narrowing his eyes dangerously.  
  
"Remy, when I first joined, they didn't trust me because I used to be with Mystique and her Brotherhood, not even Kurt at first. But I was able to gain their trust after a while, and I never betrayed that trust.  
  
"Remy, you weren't trusted when you first joined either and you know that. Ororo had to vouch for you before you were allowed to join because you were a thief. Helping Sinister organize the Marauders, the people who murdered the Morlocks, you can't expect us to trust you again so easily."  
  
Remy snorted, wiping his eyes a bit.  
  
"But they can certainly trust you, after leaving me to die like that." He muttered.  
  
"Maybe it's because you're not dead." Rogue said, starting to get angry. "Most of the Morlocks are dead because of you."  
  
"I didn't know what they were for!" Remy screamed, getting up so violently, that the chair he was sitting in fell over with a crash. "All Sinister said was to gather up some mutants who wanted to work for him! I didn't know what they were for, and I didn't ask what they were for! Why can't any of you understand that?"  
  
"Does that make you any less guilty, Remy?" Rogue asked, getting up. "Does that absolve you of giving Sinister the people he needed to slaughter the Morlocks? Do you think that when people said they were just following Hitler's orders, that that made them less guilty of murder?"  
  
"Are you comparing me to Nazis?" Remy demanded.  
  
"If the shoe fits..." Rogue didn't even see Remy move until his hand struck her across the face, making her look at him in surprise.  
  
"Have you heard nothing that I've said!?" Remy demanded, his voice rising more and more. "Did what I told you go in one ear and out the other? Or are you just an idiot?" Shaking his head he turned around and headed for the door.  
  
"I don't even know why I bothered talking to you. Kurt was wrong, this relationship can't be saved by talking about my feelings about Antarctica!" With that, he left the room.  
  
As Remy walked up the stairs to get his things, Jean passed him and he snarled angrily as he felt a familiar sensation in his head.  
  
"If you must know, I'm leaving this place you stupid bitch!" he shouted down at her, startling her. "So stop trying to get into my mind secretly! You suck at it!" ***  
Back in Kurt's room, Rogue was still standing where she was, looking at the open door. As tears started to well up, she started to leave the room, ignoring Hank as he tried to find out what had happened.  
  
Very slowly, ever so slowly, a tear fell from the corner of Kurt's eye. 


	10. 10

Remy was gone.  
  
He didn't say good-bye, and he sure as hell didn't bother to leave anyone a note.  
  
He was just...gone.  
  
Rogue didn't know what to do. She didn't know where Remy was, and even if she did, what the hell was she going to say? She had put down his feelings about Antarctica, making them seem insignificant in her anger and arrogance.  
  
She wished that she had had more time to prepare for that talk. Maybe then she wouldn't have messed it up so badly.  
  
Kurt's wounds healed with time, and when he was able to get around once more, the first thing he did was chastise Rogue for doing what she did to Remy.  
  
"He was telling you something very important, Rogue! Was he crying?" he demanded.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Then why did you say what you did? Why did you compare his actions to those of the Nazis?" Kurt demanded. Growling furiously, he spun around and flicked his tail here and there, ignoring a vase as it fell and shattered to the ground. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, rubbing his temples lightly as he let it out slowly.  
  
"What do you plan on doing about it?" he asked softly, looking over his shoulder at her.  
  
"We don't know where he is..." Rogue said weakly. Kurt's tail slammed onto a table, breaking it.  
  
"Then go and found out!" he shouted. "If you love him, go and find out where he has gone! If you wish to make amends for what you did, go to him! Find a way, if you even want it!"  
  
That was the last straw. Looking up at Kurt, Rogue angrily made him turn around and she jabbed a finger into his chest, punctuation each word with a jab that would leave a large purple bruise the next day.  
  
"Now you listen here!" she said. "I will find where Remy is, and when I do, I'll try and fix things so that he doesn't hate me. So don't you even dare say that I don't want to talk to him, Kurt!" Smiling faintly, Kurt brushed her hand away with his tail.  
  
"Then go and find him. Try to find him and if you want to, try to get him back. I've done all that I can for you two. I can do no more." He said, before he turned and left the room. 


	11. 11

Remy was back home in New Orleans, where he belonged he figured. His father was a bit surprised with his son coming back to the Thieves Guild, but he didn't push the issue, seeing that his son was obviously upset about something that had happened over in New York.  
  
Remy was slipping up with basic thefts, however. He was walking the streets, with a mission of taking a guy's wallet. It turned out that the man had a chain on his wallet.  
  
Normally, a chain on a wallet wouldn't stop Remy. He could take the wallet chain and all, or simply take the wallet and leave the person with nothing but a chain in his pocket.  
  
When Remy went for the snatch, he ended up pulling on the wallet, tugging on the chain and alerting the attempted victim of the attempted theft. Remy was forced to let go and run, throwing two cards at a police officer who almost caught up to him.  
  
Remy just wasn't the same, and he blamed Rogue for that with all of his heart. If she had just listened to what he had said, instead of brushing it off the way she did, he wouldn't be here right now, messing up simple theft jobs!  
  
He hated her; that much was certain. He hated her with a burning passion and he would die happy if he never saw her face again.  
  
At least, that's what he said when he was drinking with his friends.  
  
When Remy was sober though, things were completely different.  
  
Sometimes, late at night, his father could hear him sobbing in his room, whispering Rogue's name over and over again.  
  
When he was sober, he wanted to talk to her so badly. He wanted to hold her again and make everything better. He wanted things to be like they were before the Morlock Massacre and Antarctica.  
  
He just...wanted Rogue back. 


	12. 12

"Don't mess this one up, Remy." Sean whispered, lighting their cigarettes calmly.  
  
"Don't worry about me." Remy muttered, twirling his cigarette between two fingers.  
  
"Did you say not to worry?" Sean laughed. "Remy, you haven't been able to pick a simple pocket for weeks now! You're starting to lose it!"  
  
"I am not losing it!" Remy snarled. "It's just a momentary lapse. I'm fine." To show his point much better, Remy calmly walked up a head of Sean, going right for their target. He walked beside the target for a while, before he finally slowed down and reached Sean, calmly giving him the target's wallet.  
  
"See?"  
  
"Huh. Do you think one wallet is going to make up for those screw ups you've done before?" Sean asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You're slipping up, Remy. All because of that bimbo..."  
  
Remy grabbed him tightly by the throat, smashing him against a side of a building.  
  
"Don't call her a bimbo!" he growled, narrowing his eyes. "Her name is Rogue so just shut up about it!"  
  
"All right man! Calm down!" Slowly, Remy let Sean go and he backed off, heading back to the mansion.  
  
When he got back to the mansion, he headed for the kitchens, but his father stopped him.  
  
"You have a visitor, Remy."  
  
"Who is it?" Remy asked, trying not to get too excited.  
  
"You'll see when you get there now won't you?" Sighing, Remy headed up for his room. Looking inside, he found Rogue sitting on his bed, swinging her feet a bit.  
  
Looking up, Rogue smiled weakly, waving at him.  
  
"Hey, Remy. Can we talk?" 


	13. 13

"Isn't that what I asked to do weeks before?" Remy asked, leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. "And if I remember correct, you compared me to a Nazi, and brushed away everything I said with a wave of your untouchable hand."  
  
"Remy..."  
  
"So really, what's the point of us talking again if you won't even listen to reason to what I have to say?" Remy continued. "Let me guess, Kurt made you come here didn't he? He gave you a whole speech about talking it over to prove our love to each other? Well guess what, cher! I hate you, and I want you out of here!"  
  
"Remy..."  
  
"Non! Don't you try to talk to me now, cher! You had your chance didn't you? Oui, you had your chance when I opened up to you in Kurt's room that one day! You threw it away, and now I'm throwing you away!  
  
"So just get your ass off of my bed and go back to the mansion! Tell Kurt that if he tries to send you here again, I'll kill him, and I'll be sober when I do it!"  
  
Looking at Remy, Rogue could see that it was useless to argue with him anymore. He had made up his mind, and no amount of begging and pleading would make him take her back. Sighing softly, Rogue nodded and she got up, walking towards the door.  
  
"Here." She said, holding out something in her hand. Remy took it and she left the house for good.  
  
Looking down at the palm of his hand, Remy found himself looking a plain gold ring that he had given to her on their one-year anniversary. Angrily, he threw it, the ring clattering in some unknown part of his room.  
  
His father always said that Remy was stubborn, today just proved it. 


	14. 14

When the door to Remy's room suddenly smashed open weeks after he told Rogue to get away from him, he wasn't very surprised. He was however surprised when Logan grabbed him tightly by the throat, cutting off his air supply.  
  
"Look me in the eyes, Gumbo!" he growled. "Tell me that you don't want her back!" Remy could only manage a weak gag, trying to pull Logan's vice like grip away. Narrowing his eyes, Logan only let up a little to allow him enough air to breathe and speak a bit.  
  
"Well?" he demanded.  
  
"Get...out." Remy said. Sighing, Logan threw Remy off of his bed.  
  
"You are a stubborn bastard, you know that?" he asked, taking a more comfortable position on Remy's bed.  
  
"Why do you care?" Remy asked, rubbing the back of his head gingerly.  
  
"Because Rogue came home crying, Gumbo." Logan said, taking out a cigar and calmly cutting off the tip before lighting it. "I don't believe a damn word she said either. There is no way you told her to leave and never come back."  
  
"I did tell her that! Now just get out of here, Logan!" Logan shook his head, taking a long drag on his cigar.  
  
"I can't do that, Gumbo. Not until you confess your feelings for her."  
  
"I used to care for her." Remy said. "But I don't anymore."  
  
"Try again." Logan said. Narrowing his eyes, Remy went for his pack of cards. Calmly, Logan sank his claws threw them, impaling them onto his claws.  
  
"Don't try attacking me, Gumbo. You may have threatened to kill Kurt, but there is no way you'll be able to take me on; sober or drunk!" Sighing, Remy looked away, shaking his head a bit.  
  
"I don't understand what you want from me." He said. "I don't love her..."  
  
"That's not what your friends down stairs told me." Logan said matter- of-factly. "They say you sob her name out every night."  
  
Remy didn't say anything.  
  
"I see what's going on." Logan continued. "You're hurt, and I don't really blame you for that. You were brushed away, so even though you really do want her back, you're too proud to say it.  
  
"Pride is what got you guys into this problem in the first place, Gumbo. You and Rogue both seem to have that problem, and Kurt and I are quite sick of it!  
  
"Now, you have two choices in the matter, Gumbo. You can either stay here and be miserable for the rest of your lousy life, messing up easy heists and such; or you can come back to the mansion, swallow your pride and tell Rogue that you want her back just like she wants you back!  
  
"So, what's it gonna be, Gumbo?"  
  
Remy was packing an hour later. 


	15. 15

When Remy got back to the mansion, he wasn't up for any small talk with anyone. All he wanted was to get to Rogue as soon as possible so that they could finally talk things out in a civilized manner.  
  
As he headed for the stairs, he stopped once, narrowing his eyes angrily. Whirling around, he looked over at Jean.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he shouted, making everyone look at him in surprise. "You can't get into my mind, so just stop it!" With that said, he turned and went up the stairs, leaving Jean blushing a deep crimson.  
  
Remy walked by Rogue's room door, heading for Kurt's first. Setting his bags down, he knocked on the door, waiting for Kurt to answer. When he didn't, he simply opened the door and he found Kurt lounging on his bed, his eyes closed as he listened to music on headphones.  
  
Sighing softly, Remy walked up and lightly tapped Kurt's shoulder. Opening his eyes, Kurt looked at Remy and removed his headphones slowly with his tail.  
  
"So, you've come back." He said, removing his headphones, filling the room with the sound of Mozart*.  
  
"I wanted to talk to you first." Remy said, sitting down beside him.  
  
"And why is that?" Kurt asked, tilting his head to one side.  
  
"I wanted to say I was sorry. I messed up your plans to get me and Rogue back together. I don't think it can be saved either, but I'm going to give it a try."  
  
"Logan got to you?"  
  
"Oh yeah." Kurt chuckled, shaking his head a bit.  
  
"Well then, I think that you should go up to see Rogue. She's up on the roof." Kurt directed, getting his headphones out again. "I'm sure she would be glad to see you." With that, he slipped his headphones back on and he closed his eyes, leaning his head back a bit.  
  
"Thanks for the pep talk, mon ami." Remy laughed, shaking his head and leaving the room. ***  
He found Rogue sitting on the roof, the wind playing with her hair lightly. He stood silent for a while, watching her sitting down, and the light of the sun silhouetted her frame.  
  
Oh yes, he really wanted her back.  
  
Clearing his throat loudly, Remy slowly walked up and he sat down beside Rogue.  
  
"Hey, chere." He said, looking up at the sky.  
  
"Logan threatened to kill you?" Rogue asked. Remy laughed softly.  
  
"Well, he woke me up actually." He said, rubbing the back of his head a bit.  
  
"Did YOU want to come back?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, but I was just too stubborn to say it." Remy admitted. "It was like, I wanted you, but you didn't want me. So when you DID want me, I didn't want to just jump up and go back to you because you didn't want me when I wanted you. Do you understand?"  
  
"You sounded like Jubilee just then." Rogue laughed softly. "All you had to do was add a few hundred likes throughout that!"  
  
"I was being an asshole." Remy said. "Is that better?"  
  
"I guess." Rogue shrugged. "But I did worse to you."  
  
"Yes, you did." Remy nodded. Rogue looked from the sky to Remy, her eyes sparkling a bit in hope.  
  
"Do you think we can save this thing or what?" she asked.  
  
"That depends." Remy said. "I can't forgive you so easily for Antarctica, or shooting me down by comparing me to a Nazi either. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it either.  
  
"But that doesn't mean we can't try to save it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to forgive you, Rogue. That doesn't mean we can't be a couple and work through our problems does it?" he asked, tilting his head to one side as he looked at her.  
  
Rogue looked Remy in the eyes and she slowly smiled, nodding a bit.  
  
"I don't expect you to just forgive me at the drop of the hat. I think we can fix this relationship, Rems." She said. Slowly, she leaned forward and she pressed her lips to his, closing her eyes.  
  
The two stayed on the roof of the mansion for the rest of the day.  
The End.  
  
*The music from the attack in the White House...Yeah... 


End file.
